Just vote on the RH bill, women's group says

Reacting to Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales' statement that the House of Representatives may do a ‘test vote on the RH bill’, a group of women advocates working in grassroots communities urged the House leadership to instead put the decade-long Reproductive Health (RH) bill to the real vote.

Following Gonzales’ statement, Elizabeth Angsioco, National Chairperson of the Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines (DSWP) said that if the House leadership wants to already terminate the debates on the RH bill, it can very well do so under its rules without going to a vote. The "test vote" as explained, is unnecessary.

“After all, the bill has been under deliberation for more than 12 years and everything that can be discussed has already been exhausted,” Angsioco stressed.  “Insisting on more debates is really about further delaying the vote on the RH bill,” she added.

According to Angsioco DSWP members face the sad realities experienced by women in poor communities’ and are disheartened by the Department of Health report that in January alone, 50 maternal deaths have been recorded in Metro Manila.  “We deeply sympathize with the families left by these women but at same time frustrated knowing that those deaths could have been prevented if the RH law is already in place,” she said.

Moreover, Angsioco cited news report that said 10 girls were found pregnant in only one high school in Ilocos Norte. “This could have been averted if our young people have an age-appropriate RH education which is an important provision of the RH bill,” she explained.

Angsioco asserted that the public has seen how powerful the House leadership is. "We know how fast the House can work on matters it deems important, just like on the ongoing impeachment cases.  We have also seen how a single text message from the office of the Speaker can magically make absent Representatives appear in Plenary when they want to have a quorum,” she said.

Unfortunately, the Filipino masses have yet to see the same political will on bills that will benefit ordinary people, most especially poor women, Angsioco emphasized.  “A test vote on the RH bill is unnecessary. What women need is the REAL vote that the HOR leadership can actually immediately do,” she continued.

“March 8 is International Women's Day and March is women's month here. Let the lawmakers be reminded that they owe women this - the vote on the RH bill,” Angsioco ended. (pr)